The Better Man
by tanner
Summary: A year after the finale Hyde runs into an old friend.


**Title**: The Better Man

**Rating:** Whatever PG is now.

**Summary:** A year after the series ended Hyde meets up with an old friend.

**Author Notes:** So...It's been a while. This has been sitting unfinished for over a year, you can probably tell the parts I added in today because they're really rough. But I find myself with two Fridays a month off (thanks a lot work) and I thought I might try to write on my new found time off. You never know, it might actually happen. This is an after the finale story, I think I got the details correct for the last season, but I might be wrong in places. More notes at the end.

**~*~**

"Grooves Record Store." Hyde picked up the phone that had to be on the tenth ring. After a year he was still dealing with staff that couldn't get the basics down. He tucked the phone under his chin and started to sort the piles of paper that littered the counter of the front desk. "Nah, Tom's closing up tonight; I should be outta here by six. You coming over?" He held a yellow packing slip a little closer and wondered who kept ordering 45's. He was going to have to start firing people soon.

"Excuse me."

An old accent stilled his hands and stole his voice. He glanced up quickly, just in case his memory was somehow lacking. "Uh, somethings just come up, I gotta go." He didn't let his eyes waver as he looked across the counter at his one-time friend, "See you tonight babe." He ended his conversation before he sat the receiver back into the cradle.

"Hey Fez. Long time no see."

"How are you doing Hyde?"

He smiled slightly, keeping a weary eye on his old friend. "Different girl every night. Doesn't get much better than that."

"Oh Hyde, you are too funny." Fez said as he leaned on the counter.

"Yeah, I'm a peach. Uh, what brings you by?" he questioned.

"I was just walking through the neighbourhood and wondered what my good friend Hyde was up to."

"Your good friend that you haven't seen in over a year?" He tried to keep the exasperation from creeping into his voice.

"Oh Hyde, you must admit that it was awkward because I am with Jackie now and you aren't."

"And I thank you for that everyday."

Fez laughed, "That's the Hyde I used to know."

Hyde couldn't help smiling a little at that. "It has been a while hasn't it?"

"Yes, which is why I came by. It's about time we put this behind us, we should go, have a drink and catch up." Fez paused briefly. "There's a place by my house, you can see where Jackie and I hang out."

Hyde picked up a stack of records and walked around the counter, "Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea."

"If it makes you uncomfortable…" Fez shrugged his shoulders.

Hyde clenched his jaw and sighed. "Fine. But I've got a date tonight, and she's the kind of chick you don't want to keep waiting."

Fez beamed and gave him the address before heading out of the store. "See you later!" he waved over his shoulder and exited into the bright sunlight.

"Beautiful." Hyde muttered as he filed the records away in their proper place.

~*~

_One year earlier_

He stormed into her…no, he reminded himself, not hers…not anymore, now it was t_heir_ apartment. He gave the barest compulsory knock before barging in and scanning the room for where she was.

"What the hell is going on Jackie?"

She shut the door behind him, "I don't have to okay everything with you Steven."

At least she had the good sense not to ask what he was talking about.

"I'm just trying to be happy." At least it was an answer.

"And you think you can do that with Fez?"

"Yes- Maybe. I don't know."

"You're that sure huh?"

"It's complicated, okay?" her voice hitched a bit and she looked away from him.

"You want to know what I think?" He didn't give her a chance to answer before speaking again, "I think you're still that spoiled little kid who wanted everything everyone else had and then once you get it you can't wait to throw it away and move on to the next thing."

He moved closer so they were standing toe to toe. "You did it to Kelso; you did it to me and I'll be damned if I'm going to watch you do it to Fez."

They locked eyes for a second before he let his gaze wander to the delicate corner of her mouth. He watched as her lips parted slightly and remembered all the times he tasted her, kissed her until they were both breathless. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and at that point he _knew_ that if he leaned closer, even a fraction of an inch, she would match him. And it would keep happening until finally they were close enough to feel the whisper of a touch, the first hint of a kiss.

And it would be a downward spiral from there.

"See?" He said softly, "You only want what you can't have." He leaned in closer for a brief second and then abruptly pulled away and, without a glance at her, he walked out the door.

He hadn't stepped foot inside their apartment after that.

~*~

Fez unlocked the door and gestured grandly to enter. Hyde sighed and shook his head slightly before crossing into their home. One drink. One drink and then he'd go home and try and forget the past.

But no. It couldn't be that simple. He allowed himself to admit that he missed hanging out with Fez. They were friends once and had a lot to catch up on, and before he knew it the drink was gone, he was smiling over some wild antic Fez had gotten involved with and he agreed to see their place.

There was no way this would end well.

And, he thought wryly, what kind of idiot would get himself into this kind of situation?

Steven Hyde. Apparently.

He looked around the main room of the apartment, the personal touches jumped out at him right away. This was not the cold empty space of a year ago; gone were the boxes that doubled as end tables and empty shelves that surrounded the living room. In their place stood classic, and he had no doubt, expensive matching furniture with pictures and mementos scattered throughout the area.

Once again, the reality of how very bad this idea was washed over him.

"Fez is that you?" He slowly turned to the hallway where the feminine voice originated and steeled himself for what was to happen next. A few seconds later Jackie hurried out of the other room while drawing her hair into a loose ponytail. She quickly grabbed a jacket off the back of a nearby chair and started pulling it over her shoulders.

"I'm on my way to see– Hyde!" She stopped short when she caught sight of him.

He gave her a silent nod before sitting down on the couch.

"Look who I found on my way home." Fez beamed at Jackie.

Jackie's eyes darted between the two men, unsure of what to say in the situation.

Hyde and I were just catching up," Fez continued, unaware of the tension that suddenly filled the room.

Jackie smiled thinly at Fez before turning her focus to the other man. "How are you doing Hyde?"

"'m okay." he said simply. She was obviously uncomfortable with him being here and the evil side of him didn't want to make it any easier for her. "You?"

She nodded slowly, "Fine."

"Jackie and I are thinking about getting married." Fez proclaimed into the silence.

Hyde's stunned "Excuse me?" was challenged by Jackie's equally loud "What!?"

"Fez! We're not—" Jackie stole a glance at Hyde. "I mean, we haven't—nothing's official." she finished lamely. "Fez, can I see you in the kitchen please?" she quickly turned and left the room.

"Well, this has been a...fun reunion," Hyde got up off the couch and walked towards the door. "But I've got a date. I'll see myself out, See ya later kids."

~*~

Hyde turned the apartment lights on and kicked the door shut behind him. For not the first time this evening he chided himself for being so colossally stupid. Catching up with an old friend was one thing, going back to the place where his old friend was shacked up with Jackie was quite another. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the keys onto the kitchen table and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Seeing Fez and Jackie left him emotionally exhausted. Not that he'd admit it to anyone. If he kept his distance it stayed an abstract idea.

A concept without boarder and boundaries. Something that couldn't be defined.

Something that wasn't real.

But seeing them and seeing their home brought the situation back into disturbing focus.

And he wasn't sure he liked what that meant.

He had spent the better part of a year avoiding this very thing. To be honest, he spent quite a few of those months angry at the two of them. And after that, well, women and drinks could do a lot to help blur the lines and fade the anger to a point where he could honestly say he hadn't thought about them for a long while.

Until, of course, tonight.

Married. To Fez.

Great.

The sound of keys in the door broke him out of his reverie. A quick glance of the clock made him surprised at how much time had passed. With one last gulp he tossed the empty beer can into the sink and grabbed two more out of the fridge.

He dropped back into the chair and held one of the cans over his head in silent offering.

"You're late." he said simply.

Jackie sat down in the empty chair beside him, opened the can and took a long drink. "Yeah, I wonder why?" she said before leaning over and claiming his lips in a long kiss.

End

~*~

**A/N: **There might be a second part to this, maybe. If only to describe how it all came to be. I dusted this off becuase I had a hankering to write Jim/Pam season3 Office fic, and remember that I had this one sitting unfinished.

On a totally different note, I'm amazed at the number of people who are still reading T70S fic, especially mine :) I feel super guilty that I haven't finished That Long Hot Summer, and I'm going to try and finish that up, even if it's not as detailed as I originally intended.

Tania


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